Life after Dan Marino has been largely miserable for the Miami Dolphins. There were a fair share of talented players on the Dolphins teams of the early 2000s, but one variable on those competitive teams was always missing — a quarterback who had it. No disrespect to Jay Fiedler, but one can’t help but wonder what those early years of the new millennium would have looked like with a more accomplished quarterback at the held for Dave Wannstedt and company.
Troy Aikman definitely qualifies as a more qualified quarterback — and believe it or not, he was a realistic option for the Miami Dolphins, as the Hall of Fame quarterback recalled to Sam Farmer of the LA Times.
The year was 2003. The Dolphins were coming off of a 9-7 season and their first missed trip to the postseason since 1996 — but this was a team that possessed an elite defense and the fresh legs of running back Ricky Williams, who had led the NFL in rushing in his first year as a Dolphin in 2002. And the Dolphins, according to Aikman, were interested in entertaining a comeback bid for the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, who hadn’t played in the league since 2000.
With his old offensive coordinator Norv Turner in Miami, Aikman recalled committing himself to a comeback.
“I decided I wanted to do it,” said Aikman via Farmer. “I reached out to Dave and told him. He said, ‘Well, we couldn’t sign you now even if we wanted to because free agency hasn’t started yet.’ So I told him I was going to start training as though I were going to come back and play. He said that was great.
“But then nothing ever happened. I called Norv and asked what was going on. He said, ‘I think they’re a little nervous about signing you. They’re worried they’re going to sign you, and you’re going to get a concussion, this and that.'”
Mark this down as yet another time the Dolphins missed a chance at upgrading at quarterback due to fear of injury. Aikman in 2003 is hardly as troublesome a decision as the Drew Brees debacle in 2005, make no mistake about that. But it’s definitely fun to wonder “what if” about a 2003 season that still saw the Dolphins go 10-6 with Fiedler at the helm — although the team missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker to the Denver Broncos. That Miami defense could’ve made some noise in the postseason — the team gave the 14-2 Patriots fits in both matchups but lost 19-13 in overtime and 12-0 in December to the eventual Super Bowl champions.
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